Improvement in valve-gear for steam-engines



AM. PHOTO-LITRO. E0. N Y. (OSBORNES PROCESS.)

.UNITED STATES .TOEN S. BARDEN, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO NEW'l PATENT OFFICE.

ENGLAND BUTT COMPANY, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN VALVE-GEAR FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent N0. 50,413, dated October 10, 1865.

fo all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. BARDEN, of the city and county of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Steam-Engines, or in their slide valves and the mechanism for operating the same and I do hereby declare the said invention to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l is afront elevation of it, with parts ot' the valve-chest and steamways of the cylinder uncovered so as to more clearly exhibit them. Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sections of the slider, the cylinder thereof', the governor, and the rocker-lever, to be hereinafter described. Fig. et is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 5 a transverse section, of the slide-valve.

In the said drawings, A denotesaslide-valve arranged within the steam-chest B of an engine-cylinder, such chest being provided with steam ports or passages a a, leading into opposite parts of the cylinder. The said valve is composed of two square rectangular perforated plates, b b', an elastic square or rectangular perforated plate of vulcanized india-rubber, c, and a circumscribing frame or case, d, from one end of which the valve-stem e is projeoted, the whole being arranged as shown in the drawings. lVhile the perforated plate b is borne against the upper side ot' the valvechest chamber the lowerplate, b,will be pressed against the valve-seat or lower side of the said chamber, the spring c, by its expansive power, serving to force the two plates b b in direction away from one another and against the opposite sides of the valve-chest. By having both plates and the spring perforated, as shown at ff and g, the valve becomes what is termed a balanced valve.77

The valve-stem e, atits rear end, is jointed to a rocker-lever, h, which passes througha cylinder, i, that is fitted to slide freely on the lever. This cylinder is for the lever an adjustable fulcrum, it being inserted within and applied to a corresponding cylindrical bearing or hole, k, made in a slider or block, Z, which is arranged between two parallel guides, m m. A-mamjslidersldhe so formed as not only to allow of the necessary vibratory motions ot' the rocker-lever, but enable the block to be elevated far enough to bring into coincidence the axis of the cylinderi and that of the jointpin ofthe valve-stem.

An ordinary ball-govexnor, P, ot' a steamengine is to be so applied to the slider t as to actuate or raise and depress it while the engine or its slide-valve is in operation. The lower end ofthe rocker-lever is jointed to the strap-rod n of an eccentric, Z', and when the eccentric is revolved a reciprocating vibratory motion will be imparted to the rocker-lever, whereby the valve will be moved on its seat. The extent of movement ofthe valve will depend on the position of the slider l, for when the slider is elevated high enough to bring the axis of the cylinder t' into coincidence with that of the-joint-pin o o' the valve-stein the vibratory movements of the rocker-lever will cause it to produce no motion of the valve. The farther the slide may descend from such a position the greater will be the amount ot' motion imparted to the valve. Thus by means of the slider, its cylinder, and guides, applied together and to the rocker-lever ot' the valve,

we are enabled to regulate the movement of the slide valve by the action ot' a ballgovernor applied directly to the slider.

Thus it will be seen that, instead of applying the governor to a throttle-valve placed in the induction-pipe which leads the steam from the boilergto the valve-chest, I apply the governor to work the slide-valve, and thus I am enabled to dispense with the throttle-valve and to regulate the tlowage ot' steam from the valve-chest into the piston-cylinder, instead of regulating the lowageot steam into the valvechest.

With my invention I can obtain a more sensitive and a much better regulation of the engine by the ball-governor with much economy of steam in comparison to what results when the governor is applied to work a throttlevalve placed in the induction-pipe ofthe valvechest.

Therefore what I claim as my invention is as follows-that is to say:

1. The combination and arrangement of the cylinder i, the slider Z, and the guides m m thereof, whereby such slide-valve shall be oon- With a slide-valve, A, and rocker-lever h, the trolled in its movements by the bail-governor Whole being substantially as and to operate in manner as specified. as hereinbefore explained.

2. The combination of the bali-governor Witnesses:

JAMES H. OLMEY,

LYMAN H. EDDY.

JOHN s. BARDEN.

with the slide-Valve of a steam-engine cylinder by means as described, or the equivalent 

